Light blared from above. Birds fluttered through the trees, wind close behind them. Rolling over, Shadow felt branches poke his side. He flopped onto the floor, splinters from the harshly cut ground digging into his skin. He sighed. Sleep was so wonderful. He didn't even have to go to school, it was just sad to leave the dream world. Or even if he wasn't sleeping, it was just nice to be in the bed without anyone bugging him. 

He stumbled to his feet with a grunt. He looked at the glass orbs around him, each twinkling a different color. He picked up his neatly folded blue jacket from the ground. It had a sort of leathery texture, but it was softer and didn't shine. He pulled it on over his white shirt. He jumped to the ladder, leaving his cape upstairs. Swishing the vines of the entrance aside, he felt a gust of wind blow on his face and ruffle his hair. Shadow breathed in the morning air, feeling the sweet scent of rain. The grass was moist and sparkled with dew, the droplets making his bare feet wet. He plunked down on a damp tree stump, pulling a pear from a hidden bag behind it. He loved the pears, simply because they tasted like whatever you were craving the previous day. They had normal ones too, but these were plentiful in the forest he lived in. Biting into the juicy fruit, the taste of an ice cream sandwich met his tongue. He quickly finished it, wiping his mouth. 

Shadow looked behind his shoulder, where a deer was prancing through the woods. When he peered up he saw the sun was almost at its peak. He wondered what he might do that day, if Ally didn't come bug him soon. He didn't feel like going anywhere. Yesterday when he went to Privateer to get vishta powder, some thieves had recognized him from the wanted posters and chased him. Going out was risky, even if he did it all the time. 

He heard a noise, and sensed a swish of air. He spun around, catching a hand in his fist. Shadow found he'd caught Ally with one of his oh-so-amazing moves. She looked surprised, like she'd wanted to scare him. He smiled, and let go. Ally stood up straight, rubbing her hand. 

"What was that for?" She asked, frowning at her red hand. She had clearly only wanted to poke his shoulder or something. 

Shadow fumbled for words. Ally's hair swept across her shoulders, framing her face and contrasting against her purple eyes. He'd known there was something interesting about the girl since he met her, and that feeling only grew as he got to know her. He just couldn't figure out what. 

"It's instinctive," he said, "you know, since I'm being chased and stuff a lot." 

"Uh huh, now why is that?" She gave him a sidelong glance. 

"Because people don't like me," Shadow grumbled. "So, are we going to start training or is this just because you got bored without me?" He smirked. 

Ally looked at him funny. "You should know that I have a plenty fun time on my own," she said bossily. "But if you want to start training we can. I don't really care." She sat on the stump, and began to comb through her tangled hair with her fingers. 

"Okay then," he said, clapping. Ally jumped, then flicked a blond strand from her hand. He thought for a moment, realizing he didn't know what to do. They could jump into attacks or start with a simple trust exercise. Shadow stood, his mind blank. He kept thinking, and then asked himself, what was important for beginners? 

"Can't think of anything, can you?" Ally interrupted. He looked at her, and gave her a curt nod, then continued thinking. 

He tried to think back to when he first started doing his crazy stuff, and remembered having a hard time keeping his focus on his powers. He'd get overwhelmed by how many guards or bad guys there were, and therefore his attacks were often times weak. Eventually he found ways to stay calm, and his power grew stronger. If Ally was going to protect herself, she needed to know how to keep her head on. He snapped his fingers, and gestured for her to follow him. They stepped inside the tree, dew from the vines dropping onto them. As soon as they were in there, Shadow used the shadows to make a black bar, and solidified it about three-fourths way up to the ceiling. 

"Did you know that it rained last night?" Ally said. She clearly wasn't happy about that. "Like seriously, how rude of the weather! I don't even have a tarp. And guess what? I also forgot to light a fire! Aren't I brilliant?" 

Shadow ignored her. "Do have trouble with being upside down?" He asked, strengthening the bar. 

She gave him a curious look, and slowly said, "no."  

"Okay," Shadow said, "for this you have to go on the bar, hang upside down, and make your hands glow for as long as you can."

"Why?" 

"Because it teaches you to use your powers while staying calm in a tricky situation."

"Oh I see," she eyed the bar. "That'll hold me, right? I not saying I'm, you know, but it looks a little thin."

"Of course it will, you just have to trust me," he smiled, secretly knowing the bar was too thin for comfort. But that was part of the exercise. "Now, get on the bar." 

"Fine," Ally shouldered past him, reaching for the bar. She struggled at first to get on, but eventually she managed to sit on top of it. The bar creaked ever so slightly. She maneuvered her body so she could go upside down. Hooking the bar in the armpit of her knees, she lowered her head. Her face turned a little red as the blood rushed to her head, her hair reaching for the floor. She glanced up at her hands, which held the shadowy bar. 

"Do I take my hands away from the bar?" She panted. He nodded, and she gingerly did so. They started to glow, her face turning redder. "Ack! This is kind of starting to hurt," she whined. 

Shadow just stood there. "Be calm," he instructed. 

"How?" Ally gasped, her face now beet red. 

"Keep your mind occupied. Think of your happy place or whatever."

She closed her eyes, brows furrowed. Her face turned a shade lighter, but her hands went out a little. 

"Keep your hands glowing, too," he reminded her. 

She opened her eyes, "ugh, it's hard!" Ally whimpered. 

"Just keep going, it'll get easier." 

She groaned. Shadow smiled, amusement in his eyes. He could tell that after a little while she found a way to keep her cool and her hands glowing brightly. After about half an hour, he sat on the floor and pried splinters from the ground. A few minutes later, she asked if he had any gum. He shook his head, and offered her a spearmint leaf from his pocket. When Ally grimaced, he shrugged and popped it in his mouth. 

Another hour passed. Sunlight from the hole shone brightly in the tree, glaring on their faces. Ally's eyes were closed, but her hands still emitted a bright glow. Shadow almost thought she was asleep. Eventually he got bored, sighed, and released some strength from the bar. It creaked, bending dramactically. Ally's eyes shot open, she glanced at the bar, then furiously at Shadow. But he just sat there, picking splinters from the floor, completely oblivious to her situation. When he glanced up at her with his eyes, he saw that she seemed to realize it was just part of the exercise. She calmed down, and they kept going for another half hour. Every thirty minutes he'd weaken the bar, until Ally was hanging on a dark thread. She seemed calm, and when the string was gone completely, she almost managed to land on her feet. 

"Good job," Shadow said, and yawned. He gingerly stood, his legs shaking and his rear numb from sitting so long. They headed outside, and ate lunch on twin stumps. 

"So," Ally swallowed. "You never answered my question." 

He looked at her, confused. She asked a lot of questions, how was he supposed to keep track of the ones he did or did not answer? 

She sighed. "Why does it hurt when someone is brought here?" 

Shadow hesitated, but knew if they were going to work together, they also needed to trust each other. "For a lot of people, it doesn't hurt. But for some, it does. Like you and me. I'm assuming you got a horrible migraine and your vision was shadowed, even if you weren't closing your eyes?"

"Actually, my vision was completely white," she told him. He nodded, processing the new information. 

"So anyway, it's pretty simple: if it hurts, you have a very important destiny here, and if it doesn't, you don't. The amount of pain shows how much of a role you'll play." 

Ally sat there, her eyes constantly moving. She then sat up really quick and clapped. "That's how you get home, isn't it?" She exclaimed. When he gave her a look, she rolled her eyes. "By completing your destiny in this place, you get to go home?" She clarified. 

"Couldn't have said it better myself," he smiled, and she squealed with joy. "But that's very unlikely, seeing how awesome me and my vocabulary is." 

Rather then scolding him, she laughed. He began to laugh himself, and to his surprise, she hugged him. When he stopped laughing, she quickly let go. She smiled awkwardly, and Shadow returned it. They then continued to laugh, the cloud of worry and sorrow that hung over their head's overpowered by the sunlight.